


Heritage

by lordladylex



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-06-26 17:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19772899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordladylex/pseuds/lordladylex
Summary: The Iron Bull learns about the Inquisitor's past, and how it continues to influence her present.The first two chapters were meant to be one offs, but then I got carried away.





	1. Magic

“Hey, Boss, I got a question, if you don’t mind me prying.”

Adaar looked up from her breakfast at Bull. “Is this a… business question?” she asked, taking a bite of an apple.

“No, just something I’m curious about.”

She crossed her legs. “Ask away.”

Bull paused, trying to figure out the best way to word it. “So… You know how the Qun feels about magic. And I know you don’t follow the Qun, but even so, most Tal Vashoth are still creeped out by it. Not you, though.” He steepled his fingers, looking over them at Adaar with a furrowed brow. “You dont even flinch. You even sided with the mages at Redcliffe. What’s up with that?”

The Inquisitor took a moment to respond. “Its kind of a long story. I mean, the short version is that my father was a mage, but that’s not really the whole truth.” Bull didnt say anything, prompting Adaar to continue. “I used to be terrified of magic. My mother had taken me on the run, away from my father. She said that bad men were after him, so it was safe if we were apart. We saw him a couple times a year for a while, but I never felt like I knew him. And he could do all these scary things I didnt understand. But then when I was eight or so, my parents decided they’d had enough running. We settled down in the Free Marches. Father moved in with us and I finally got to know him for real. He taught me a lot about magic. The ways it could help or hurt people. Ultimately it’s just a tool. That’s what he taught me.”

Bull didn't respond immediately, just let her reminisce for a moment with what he imagined were memories of happier times. She quietly sipped her tea. “I’m guessing you take after your mother, then?” he finally said. Adaar chuckled.

“All but these horns,” she said, tapping the ram shaped curls sprouting above her temples. “Spitting image if his.”

She took another bite of her apple. “They eventually caught up to him, though. Some Ben Hassrath snuck up on him while he was hunting.” Her eyes glazed over a little, remembering. “Decent guy, all things considered. Brought his body back to us. I tried to fight him, fool child that I was, barely grown into my horns. Mother held me back and the Ben Hassrath let us live. Said he was only looking for one Tal Vashoth.” Adaar paused to pick a bit of apple skin out of her teeth. “So I guess being around magic makes me feel like I’m keeping his memory alive or something. Does that answer your question?”

The Iron Bull was a little surprised. He certainly hadn’t expected to hear the Inquisitor’s life story this morning. “So,” he said, “when should I expect the ‘you killed my father’ sized knife in my Ben Hassrath shaped back?”

Adaar snorted. “I think you’re safe. I’m not an idiot, Bull.” Whether she was referring to the futility of a grudge or her odds against him in a one on one fight, he wasn't sure. Maybe both. He started to stand up to go.

“Nice talking with you, Boss.”

“I hadn’t told anyone that before.”

Bull paused.

“I suppose no one’s asked before.”

“Sorry if I–”

“Thanks. For asking.”

He smiled. “I’ll let you know if I have any other invasive personal questions for you.” Bull left the hall, leaving the Inquisitor to her newly stirred thoughts.


	2. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bull gets into a scrape during battle, but Adaar has just the thing to fix him up.

It was the Emprise du Lion. Bull stared down a Behemoth. The group of red templars had surprised them around a corner of the trail, but it didn’t take long for the group to dispatch the soldiers. All that was left was this monster. The Iron Bull let out a roar and charged the beast with his ax, as he was known to do. The Behemoth roared in return, taking the impact from Bull’s hit. Bull smirked, already rearing back for another swing. He wasn’t expecting the Behemoth to be so quick. It swung its hammer-like arm before he could react and nailed him in the side, sending him flying as though he were a wad of paper.

“BULL!” He heard the shout an instant before he made contact with the rocky ground and his vision with dark.

“Is he alright? I didn’t think he could get knocked out with a head that thick.”

“Well he’s gotta be, right? It takes more than a shitty rock to kill a qunari, dunnit?”

“He’s not dead, Sera, he’s still breathing!”

Bull suddenly became aware of a pressure on his left arm. “Ugh… my ears work too, you know,” He opened his eyes, blinking through the migraine inducing sunlight, to see the Inquisitor grasping his arm, face inches away from his. Her face seemed to light up.

“Maker, Bull, don’t scare us like that!” She immediately let go of his arm and sat back to create some distance between them. Bull noticed.

“What, I was barely out for a minute!”

“Um, try fifteen minutes, actually, give or take.” Dorian raised a smug eyebrow. “We had to take down the great red brute without you.”

“Ah.” If Bull could get embarrassed, now would be the time. He started to sit up.

“Careful,” said Adaar, “you’re bleeding a lot.” She repositioned herself behind him to take a look.

“Can’t you do somethin’ about it?” Sera said to Dorian, backhanding his arm.

“Do I look like a healer to you?”

“What’s the shitting point of magic if you cant use it to help people?”

“I help people all the time. With barriers. And fire. Not so much with healing.”

“Well it cant be that hard, can it? You should just-”

“You guys can go back to camp,” Adaar suddenly said. “I’ll finish dressing this and I’d rather not work with arguing in the background. We’ll be right behind you.”

The mage and rogue exchanged glances.

“Fine then. See you back at camp.” Dorian said, leading Sera by the shoulder. “I think you’re about to owe me ten sovereigns,” he muttered.

Sera made a strangled squawking sound in protest but said nothing else as they walked back the way they came.

“Hows it looking back there?” Bull asked. “See any bone? Those scars always look the best, like dented armor almost.”

Adaar chuckled. “No such luck, I’m afraid. It’s not actually that deep, heads just bleed a lot.” He could feel her dabbing something at the base of his skull. “Just need to stop the bleeding and you’ll be fine.”

“Damn. I like scars.”

“I’m shocked.”

Now she was applying pressure. If Bull didn’t know any better, he’d almost think it was Stitches back there. “You know a lot about healing?” He asked.

“Grew up on the run remember? I know all sorts of little tricks for this stuff. Mud for nettle rashes, clay for bee stings. Even know which weeds are good to eat in a pinch.”

That made Bull chuckle. “Sounds like Stitches better watch out.”

She snorted. “Hardly. I know a bunch of home remedies, but nothing about actual diseases or serious injuries. Although,” she said, pausing to grab something, “I bet I do have something Stitches doesn’t.” 

“Ah!” Bull felt a sudden chill on his wound.

“Oh relax, that didn’t hurt.”

“Damn cold, though! Could have warned me!”

“Don't be a baby. I forget the real name of the plant this stuff comes from. My mother always called it Wyvern Spit.”

“And you’re rubbing it into my open wound.”

“It’ll stop it from itching, keep it clean, and help it heal faster. It’s pretty rare, we took some cuttings in Antiva and started growing it at home. I’ve got a couple pots of it in my quarters back at Skyhold. So stop being a baby and let me put this on here.”

Bull gave a dramatic sigh and grumble, crossing his arms as he waited. The Inquisitor added a bandage and slapped him on his shoulder. “Good as new. Let’s get back to camp.”

She stood up offering Bull her hand. Cute that she thought she could actually lift him like that, but Bull obliged, taking the hand she offered and standing mostly on his own.

“Let me know if you start feeling woozy or light headed.”

“Sure. And you let me know how I can pay you back.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” she smirked. Adaar took the lead, adjusting her belt to show off her rear just a little bit.

Bull noticed.


	3. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inquisitor Adaar receives some distressing news.

Whenever the Iron Bull decided to leave the tavern long enough to go to the great hall in Skyhold, he would always make sure to greet the few people he could stand. Namely, Gatsi and Varric. Occasionally he would head upstairs if he needed to ask Vivienne for advice, but that was rare. Today, however, as he wandered in through the main door, he felt something immediately off in the air.

Stepping as quietly as a man of his size could, he peered through the entry way to see the Inquisitor talking in tense hushed tones with Varric. He had never seen Adaar seem so small. She was leaning against the wall, one hand covering her face. Iron Bull pretended not to notice and strolled over to Gatsi, his back towards them.

“Hey Gats. Know what’s going on over there?” He kept his tone conversational, but quiet.

Gatsi scratched at his beard. “Not much. Just that the Inquisitor came straight from her quarters with some parchment in her hand and made a beeline straight for Tethras over there. Didn’t seem mad or nothin. They been whispering for the last five or ten minutes.”

Iron Bull glanced around the rest of the hall. Some of the ‘esteemed Orlesian guests’ seemed to realize something was amiss as well. None dared to approach the pair, but a few closer individuals were oddly quiet, likely hoping to overhear something juicy to write home about.

“Thanks.” Iron Bull grabbed a barrel off the stockpile next to him and took a seat. Pretty usual when he intended to have a nice long chat with Gatsi. Although that was not what he intended on doing today. “Anything new going on with the construction team?” He angled himself to see both Gatsi and the Inquisitor. Had to keep up the appearance of not snooping after all.

Gatsi snorted, knowing full well what Bull was doing. “New guy damn near killed himself trying to repair the roof of Cullen’s tower after I pointedly told him not to. He’s lucky a mage was nearby and had the wits to cushion his fall with some staff waving.”

“Hmm.” Bull feigned a response, knowing his dwarven friend wasn’t expecting one. Gatsi continued on, complaining about this worker and that who wouldn’t follow his instructions, who were a touch too overzealous, or who were simply incompetent. Bull listened and nodded and chuckle in all the right spots, until finally, Varric handed a folded and crumpled piece of parchment to the Inquisitor, who walked swiftly back to her quarters.

As soon as the door swung shut, Bull stood, returning the barrel to its home atop a crate, and bid his patient friend farewell. He walked over to Varric, who wasn’t remotely surprised to see him.

“Tiny, what a surprise, how can I help you?” His tone was friendly but tired.

Bull wasted no time. “What was that all about?”

Varric sighed. “It’s… complicated. Boss got a letter and wanted to know if I could confirm whether the information was legit or not.”

“And?”

“And it’s a personal matter. You should probably go ask her about it if you want to know more. She likely wants to see you right now anyway.”

Bull opened his mouth to ask for more information, but Varric simply waved him off and left the hall.

He paused for a moment. It seemed like the Inquisitor had wanted to be alone. But maybe that wasn’t what she needed. Bull made his way across the hall and took a breath before pushing through the door. The stairs seemed almost daunting. What exactly did Varric mean about her wanting to see him? Was the letter regarding the Ben Hassrath or something? Only one way to find out, he supposed.

He made no attempt to silence his footsteps as he ascended. He didn’t want to startle the Inquisitor. Once he reached the top, he rapped on the door twice with his knuckle. “Boss? I’m coming in…” Perhaps it was rude, but he didn’t want to risk her not answering.

As he opened the door, he was mildly surprised to see her standing at the top of the last few steps, but much more surprised to see that she had been crying. Before he knew it, Bull had flown up those steps and was by her side.

“What’s wrong, Boss?”

“Ah-” she was startled by his quick movement and hastily wiped at her face. “Sorry, I just- I got some upsetting news is all. Nothing to worry about.” She spun and walked over to her desk. She stood there, back to him, examining something rather intensely. Bull made no move to approach.

“It would seem my mother has…. passed away.”

The words seemed to break her when she said them aloud. Bull wasn’t sure what to say. “… I’m sorry.” Adaar made no response. He took a step forward. “Was it illness, or…?”

“No. If this letter is to be believed… and apparently it is…” she crumpled the parchment in her clenched fist. “She was killed.” 

Bull took a few steps closer and reached his hand out to place on her shoulder, but he froze. He lowered his hand. “Was it… Ben Hassrath?”

“Humans. The village nearby… I thought they- I thought we were-” She had trouble getting the words out in a steady tone. Adaar took the crumpled letter and threw it against the wall as hard as she could. “I thought she’d be safe there.” She sounded as though she’d given up. And that was the last straw for Bull.

He swept her up in his arms. She silently sobbed, her whole body shuddering with grief. “It’s not your fault,” Bull whispered in her ear. Adaar spun to finally face him. She buried her face in his chest, her horns just bumping his cheek. Bull slowly walked the two of them over to sit side by side on the bed, her face still hidden against him. 

“I shouldn’t have left her there alone,” Adaar muttered into his collarbone between sobs.

“Hey, now, you had no reason to think she’d be in danger. Don’t worry about that right now, just let it out.” Bull patted her shoulder.

He’s not sure how long they sat there like that, the inquisitor crying and Bull comforting her. Maybe around an hour passed before she finally ran out of both tears and energy, and fell asleep. He laid her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. The sun was barely touching the horizon, but a few extra hours of sleep would do her some good.

He made his way over to where the discarded letter lie in a crumpled ball on the floor. Quiet as he could, he smoothed it out on the Inquisitor’s desk and read it, making a few mental notes. Perhaps he would look into this himself. Giving Adaar one last look, the Iron Bull excused himself from the room.


	4. Leadership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adaar is acting strangely. Bull has a hunch he knows why.

He wanted to go himself, but he knew it wasn’t a good idea. The Inquisitor probably wouldn’t be too happy to learn of his prying, and disappearing to the Free Marches would likely tip her off. On top of that, the villagers wouldn’t exactly be put at ease by his very large and very Qunari self showing up out of nowhere and asking questions about a dead Tal Vashoth. He’d need someone who the villagers would trust and could talk to them nicely enough to get them to answer some questions. Which… pretty much just left Stitches.

Bull didn’t tell him the whole story, but it was clear that Stitches knew that. Stitches also knew better than to push the matter. He picked a couple people to travel with him, and headed out, leaving Bull to find a way to distract himself from the waiting.

Things were… awkward with the Inquisitor over the next few days. It confused Bull at first. He’d greet her at breakfast, she’d stutter a hello and avoid eye contact. And then he realized: She was embarrassed about crying. He’d try to approach her alone, but she’d make an excuse and leave at the first opportunity. Bull had enough. He’d just have to preempt the escape.

Iron Bull snagged a loaf of bread from the kitchen just after dinner was served and headed up to the Inquisitor’s quarters. There he waited, browsing the books on the shelves and slowly eating the bread, one slice at a time.

After about half the loaf was gone, he heard a door close and slow foot steps ascending the stairs. The Inquisitor’s horns were the first thing he saw, followed by her face buried in a book. She reached the top and took a few steps towards her desk before lowering the book and freezing in place.

“Care for a slice, Boss?” He offered the loaf.

“Ah- Bull,” Adaar stammered. “What a surprise, I was-”

“Relax, Boss. I just wanted to talk to you without you running off again. Can I have a minute?” he asked, gesturing to the balcony.

Adaar sighed and nodded. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you too actually.”

“Oh?” Bull stood and stepped through the door into the orange light of the setting sun.

“Yeah…” she replied, following him out. “I wanted to… apologize. I shouldn’t have behaved that way. I shouldn’t have let you seen me like that.”

They stood next to each other, leaning on the railing, but Adaar had turned her face away from him. Bull furrowed his brow.

“You… have nothing to apologize for, Boss.” She finally turned to him, surprise on her face. “You’re sorry?” Bull snorted. “Sorry for what? Being a person? So you cried, so what? People cry.”

“I can’t be a person, Bull!” Adaar snapped.

A beat of silence passed.

“I’m the Inquisitor. I’m the leader. I have to be…” she struggled to find a word. “If anyone else saw me like that… No one would-”

“I’m not anyone else.”

Adaar froze in place.

“If you want to cry or scream or throw a tantrum… Then you call me. Hey you can even throw shit at me if you want!” He took a step closer and placed a hand on either shoulder. “You don’t have to be the Inquisitor around me.”

“Bull… I…” her eyes glistened, threatening another outburst.

“No more tears,” Iron Bull leaned in, brushing noses. Adaar closed her eyes, closing the remainder of the distance, and finally, finally… their lips met.

Though it lasted but a moment, the kiss seemed to explain everything they wanted to tell each other without a single word being spoken. As their lips parted, Bull drew back a few steps.

The Inquisitor’s face was slightly flushed, even through the grey tones of her skin. For a few moments, neither of them said anything.

“Bull.” Adaar took a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’m doing. A lot of people want me to be a lot of different things, and maybe that’s getting to me a little. I’ve lead people before, in my merc group, but nothing on this scale. But…” She reached out and took his hand. “I suppose it’s nice to know that I don’t have to carry the weight of the world all the time. That sometimes I can just set it down and… take care of one person. Even if that person is me.” She smiled at him. “Thank you Bull.”

Bull smiled in return. “Anytime, Boss. Should I stay?”

“I think for tonight… I have some things I’d like to put in order. Some thoughts to sort.” She winked. “But I will likely call on your assistance soon.”

He smirked. “Well then, Boss,” he brought her hand up to his lips. “I’ll leave you to it. Sleep well.”

Adaar blushed at the gesture and shooed him out, Bull chuckling all the way to the door.


	5. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the Emerald Graves brings up a sore topic for the Inquisitor

Inquisitor Adaar was assembling a party to visit the Emerald Graves. Fairbanks was finally getting control back from the Freemen and she wanted to check in on a few things. Iron Bull was picked for the trip, of course, along with Varric and Vivienne. Bull was glad to see the Inquisitor had warmed back up to him. It made the journey there considerably less awkward when they were actually able to make conversation. Lady Vivienne was to proper to mention anything, but Bull noticed more than one sidelong smirk from Varric while he and Adaar made semi-flirtatious banter.

Once they actually arrived, however, the Inquisitor was all business. The three of them followed her from one checkpoint to the next, meeting with Fairbanks, dropping in on the Inquisition camps, taking out some Venatori agents along the way. By the end of the third day, the four of them were in some serious need of rest, which they did at the Briathos’ Steps camp. 

Adaar was unusually quiet, staring at the fire in contemplative thought. Vivienne was in her tent, applying her nightly face goop that Bull could smell a hundred paces away. Varric was talking to one of the officers a short distance away, likely spinning an elaborate tale or gathering information. Maybe both. Probably both. 

Bull sat on the ground, leaning against the log that the Inquisitor was also using. “Septim for your thoughts?” he asked to break the silence.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to brood,” she replied. “I was just thinking about what that Clara girl said.”

“What, that Fairbanks is secretly some noble?”

“Yeah. I thought it seemed like a nice thought, something we should look into. I mean, he’s already done so much for these people, he might as well have the title for it, you know?”

Bull nodded. “Yeah, seems like he’s already doing everything a noble ought to be doing and more.”

“Problem is, he got awful defensive when i brought it up. Seems our ‘leader of the people’ doesn’t actually want to be a noble.” Adaar scratched at her chin. “So now I have to decide for him, I guess.”

“Do you?”

Adaar paused. “What do you mean?”

“Hey, it’s his life. Sounds like he already knows who he is and pretty set on avoiding it.”

“Sure, but he could do a lot for those people!” The Inquisitor leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Doesn’t he owe it to them to do everything in his power to help them? With a title he could get actual funding for the refugees. Weapons, shelter, the works.”

“Oh, leave the man alone,” the voice was Varric’s, the dwarf approaching the fire circle. “He’s doing what he’s can with what he’s got, isn’t that enough?”

Bull glanced at Adaar. She was grinding her teeth. 

“Not when he could do more.” The statement was cold and authoritative. “Not when he’s lying because he doesn’t want to deal with actual responsibility!” she was raising her voice now.

“Now, Inquisitor, you don’t know that’s his reason,” Varric seemed to realize he’d stepped in something. “I’m just saying we can’t make this sort of life changing decision-”

The Inquisitor stood up. “It’s not a choice, Varric!” 

“Oh, for goodness sake, go to bed, all of you!” Vivienne scolded from her tent. “You can argue over the viability of a noble commoner in the morning!”

That seemed to defuse things well enough. Inquisitor sat down and caught her breath. Varric went to bed. Bull remained.

A few moments of silence passed before Bull spoke. “So. This is a uh… Inquisitor thing, I’m guessing?”

“What? No, it’s–” Adaar sighed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Bull pulled himself up to sit properly on the log. He nudged her with his elbow. “Look, you just need to stop worrying about it for right now. Whether Fairbanks ends up with his fancy title is a problem for tomorrow. Right now, it’s just you, me, and the crackling fire. Sound good, Boss?”

Finally, she smiled. “Don’t forget the agents on watch.”

“Nahhh, they’re not here. ‘Here’ is this.” Bull gestured to the circle of logs. “Unless of course, you want ‘here’ to be a little more private?” He gave her a charming grin.

Adaar chuckled. “I think I’d like that actually. It’d be nice to be out of Inquisition sight a little bit.”

Iron Bull didn’t expect her to take him up on that offer, but happily led her to his tent. The two seemed to barely fit in the human sized tent. Nevertheless, as they laid side by side, Bull could see Adaar relax almost immediately. For a few minutes, Bull just let her decompress, watching her stress melt with a slight smile on his face.

“I should warn you,” he finally said, “if you were planning to ride The Bull, you might want your first time to be a little farther from the closest set of ears.”

Adaar chuckled. “Is that so?”

Iron Bull grinned. “I think pretty much anyone who spends late nights at the tavern can vouch for that.

She laughed at that. “Okay, okay, you got me there. Even I’ve heard some of your… companions.”

He thought for a moment. “That doesn’t… bother you, does it?”

“What?”

“My various companions?”

Adaar propped herself up on one elbow. “Should it? It’s not like we’re a couple.”

Bull nodded. “And if we were?”

She blinked. “If we were? I dunno, I suppose it would depend on the situation?” She leaned in close with a smile. “I mean, I’d want to be invited too, of course.”

Bull laughed. “Oh-ho really?”

Adaar closed the distance between them, kissing him softly with one hand on his cheek. Bull pulled her against him and the kiss intensified. He chuckled as she bit his lip. His hand slid down her side to her hip, thumb finding warm skin between the hems.

He pressed his forehead against hers, separating their lips. “Boss.”

“Mm?” Adaar replied with a look, a needy heavy lidded look. Bull almost gave in to the silent request.

“Careful, Boss.” He said it playfully, his hand never moving from her hip.

“I’m always careful.” Her hand trailed down his neck to his collarbone and then back up, nails tracing a line to his ear.

“Yeah, you’re really not.” They both chuckled. “You need a full night sleep if your gonna be dealing with all that bullshit tomorrow. Besides, hilly terrain isn’t the best time to be walking funny.”

Adaar laughed aloud at that, leaning back to cover her mouth and hopefully spare her sleeping comrades.

“You’re right, of course,” she finally said with a sigh. “It’s easy to forget everything waiting for me outside the door when I’m with you. Or outside the tent flap I suppose.” She smirked.

“Good.”

“Just… let me stay a little longer?” Adaar leaned back in, resting her face in the crook of Bull’s neck.

“Stay as long as you like, Boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing this chapter I noticed that my writing has been rather shallow. From this point forward I'll be trying to go into more detail to put out some meatier chapters, and they may take a bit longer to come out. Thank you for your patience!


	6. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Bull reveals the fruits of his investigation.

Bull was back at Skyhold. And so was Stitches. Iron Bull listened to Stitches report of what he learned, nodding and taking mental notes as he went along, asking for the occasional clarification. Eventually, he was pretty sure he had the pieces he needed to complete the puzzle. Or at least to come close.

“Do I get to ask what this is about yet, ser?” Stitches asked with a glance that suggested he already had a hunch.

“Nope.”

“Very well. I’m off.”

–

He sat in his quarters, staring at what he’d written. Out of reflex and perhaps a desire to keep the matter private, he had written everything down in coded qunlat. However, now he had to decide what to do with this knowledge. The Inquisitor’s mood had been on the upside lately, they were closing in on Samson, destroying red lyrium operations left and right, and fade rifts were being closed all over. He knew she would want to know about this. He just hated that he’d have to be the one to tell her. He stuck the note in his back pocket and headed out of Herald’s Rest.

As luck would have it, Adaar was headed across the courtyard as Bull left the tavern. She smiled and waved, changing her course to greet him.

“Good to see you, Bull,” she said.

“Hey, Boss, you got a second to talk?”

Her head tilted. “Sure, what’s up?”

“Yeah, no, I was hoping for a more private discussion.”

Bull saw a glint in her eye that said she wanted to make a joke, but he wasn’t exactly trying to hide the dread he was feeling about this conversation, and she could tell it wasn’t the time.

“Sure…” Adaar turned and led him back across the grounds.

Bull could feel the note burning a hole in his pocket, practically weighing him down as he climbed the thrice damned stairs to the Inquisitor’s quarters. It was still early in the day, the sunlight hadn’t made its way through the west facing windows yet, and the lack of rays brought a slight chill to the room.

The Inquisitor leaned against her desk and crossed her arms, almost defensively. “So. What did you need to talk about?”

Bull sat on the corner of her bed and looked at her, studied her before he responded. He wanted to know how she’d react when he told her. “I investigated your mom’s death.”

Her whole demeanor changed. Her shoulders, previously square and tense, sagged as her whole posture seemed to deflate.

“Why would you… do that?” She seemed genuinely confused. At that moment Bull began to wonder if he should have done it at all, but he had and there was no changing that.

“Something didn’t feel right about it.”

“Yeah, no shit, Bull, my mother was burned to death in her home! Nothing about it was right!” She wasn’t leaning against the desk anymore, now she was leaning forward, furious and sad.

“That’s not what I mean-”

“Why would you do this? How long ago did you this? Why didn’t you tell me about it sooner?” With every question she took a step closer to him, angry tears building.

Bull sighed. “You know, I really hate being interrupted.” He stood up. “I didn’t want to tell you if there was nothing to tell.”

“I didn’t authorize this! I should have known before you even sent anyone out!” She took another step forward and jabbed a finger into his chest. “Dammit, Bull, you don’t get to do whatever you want, just because I- Because-” She didn’t seem to want to finish the sentence.

Bull grabbed her arm, and when her other arm came up to shove him away, he grabbed that one too. “Calm down. If you don’t calm down, I can’t tell you what I found out.”

Adaar shook her head, face tilted down so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “I don’t need to know- I don’t want to know.” She struggled against his grip.

“Yes, you do. Now take a deep breath.” 

A few heavy moments passed where Adaar tried to vainly pull free of his grip before surrendering. She took a few shaky breaths and then a good solid one. “Okay.”

Bull gave a sigh of relief. “Okay.” he let her go and slowly guided her to sit on the bed. He stayed standing.

“I sent one of my guys to check out your village and ask around. I guess a lot of people had a lot to say about it, because he said it didn’t take long.” The Inquisitor wasn’t making eye contact. He crossed his arms. “I guess a few months beforehand, a guy, some merchant or trader passing through, said he saw a demon in the woods.” Adaar clenched her jaw. “No one paid him much mind. Then another traveler came through asking if the woods were haunted. A few people started asking questions, trying to get it investigated.” Bull paused, watching the Inquisitor attempt to keep her breathing regular. “Obviously the villagers new about your mom and she helped them out from time to time with stuff, but I guess the rumors just kept piling up until she went into town one day.” Adaar looked up. Bull almost wished she hadn’t. There was such pure curious sorrow etched onto her face. He cleared his throat and continued. “There were some travelers who saw her and whispered to each other and got shit rolling. Apparently there’s some argument over who threw it, but she got hit with some overripe produce. I guess the mob mentality took over at that point, shit started flying and they ran her out of town.”

Adaar stood up.

Bull held out his hands preemptively to calm her. “Wait.”

“Give me a second.” she stalked over to her desk. Paused. Then swept everything off the top with a guttural scream, proceeding to kick unsuspecting books and inkwells across the room. The rug was ruined. Josephine would likely be upset about that, Bull mused. 

“Hey…” He let the syllable hang in the air for a few moments, letting Adaar catch her breath. Her fists were clenched at her side and Bull really didn’t want to test if he could dodge them, so he stayed back. She was panting, deep heavy pants that were more like a breathing exercise than anything to do with exertion.

But then she walked back and sat right back down on her bed, ignoring the growing stench of the ink soaking into the floor. “Go on, then.” She was looking him in the eye now, sadness replaced by a sharp fury. He sighed.

“It’s not a good ending, but you know that already. The travelers and a good chunk of the townsfolk got some makeshift weapons together and went out after her later. Few of them said they just wanted her to leave, that they didn’t actually wanna hurt her.” Adaar barked out a humorless laugh. “Everybody’s pointing fingers at everyone else, but I think there might be an outside influence here.”

She didn’t respond at first. “What are you driving at, Bull?”

“I think someone might have set it up.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious,” he insisted.

“No you’re fucking not.” Adaar stood again and strode past Bull towards the balcony. He thought for a moment about grabbing her by the arm, stopping her, but figured it would be better to let her go. She didn’t actually go out onto the balcony, just stood in the doorway. “Not everything is a big conspiracy, Bull.” She turned to face him, bracing herself on the door frame with both hands. “Sometimes humans are just shitty.”

“Yeah,” Bull admitted. “But I’m thinking maybe this time it was a specific human.”

Adaar gave a huff. “And I suppose you’ve looked into that as well?”

“Actually, no, I haven’t.” He took a few cautious steps toward her. “I wanted to tell you what I had so far.”

“Good. Because you’re dropping this. Right now.” Adaar straightened up, her height nearly matching Bull’s. He wasn’t used to someone being able to look him in the eye without craning their neck. “I’m giving you an order, Iron Bull. Do not pursue this any further.”

Bull was surprised. He hadn’t expected a flat out cease and desist. “Boss, if there’s someone out there targeting people you're close to-”

“I’m the Inquisitor, Bull. It comes with the territory.” Her tone was cold and her eyes practically dripped with venom. It made the hair on the back of Bull’s neck stand up. “Now, if you intend to keep calling me 'Boss,' I suggest you listen to what I’ve told you.” With that, she turned sharply to face her desk, seeming to forget the mess she’d made of it only moments ago. She stood there, still as the mountains outside. 

Bull gave an exasperated sigh through his nostrils. “I get that you’re mad. I won’t go any deeper into this.”

“If you wanted to dig into my past that badly, you could have just asked me,” Adaar said, quietly this time. Bull opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, she continued. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some letters to write,” and then, quieter, “and a floor to clean.”

Bull nodded, more to himself since she still wasn’t facing him. He left her quarters and didn’t stop until he was in his own. Something about the tavern didn’t seem like the right place to be just then. He pulled the note out of his back pocket and regarded it for a few minutes before, ultimately, slowly burning it over a candle until the blackened edges singed his fingertips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I didn't MEAN for this to turn angsty PER SE, but here we are. Let me know what you like and what you don't! I don't have anyone to beta these things other than the empty void of tumblr, so the feedback is appreciated.


	7. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisitor is keeping an eye on the Iron Bull.

Iron Bull knew the Inquisitor was pissed. He knew why. What he didn’t know was why she chose him to accompany her (along with Dorian and Sera) on their next excursion. She didn’t say much to him on the way to the Storm Coast, though she wasn’t completely ignoring him either. He thought that seemed like a good sign. Dorian and Sera kept up enough chatter that there were never any prolonged awkward silences, and he wondered if that was why she brought them. Whenever they made camp she would go to bed immediately after supper. If their companions suspected anything was amiss, they didn’t say anything. 

Things didn’t change much once they arrived at the coast, though Bull did begin to notice Adaar staring at him. No, not staring. Watching. He had a hunch a why, but decided not to broach the matter. They were there to close up some dark spawn holes their agents had discovered. Nasty business, one Bull hated since he had to be careful to keep his mouth closed when slashing them to bits to avoid the blood spray. You can’t roar with your mouth closed. It practically spoiled the whole experienced. 

They managed to get two closed the first day, and one on the second. The last one was a it of a trek, so they had decided to call it for the day. Adaar was stirring up a pot of stew, and it smelled delicious. Sera tried to sneak a bite, but Adaar smacked her hand with a wooden spoon.

“You can wait like everyone else,” she scolded. Sera only giggled and ran off to her tent, likely to fetch her bowl.

Dorian tried to pretend as though he wasn’t interested in the Inquisitor’s concoction, but Bull noticed the way he leaned in slightly to examine the contents of the pot. He smirked and fetched his own dinnerware. 

Supper was delicious, as expected, and the pot ran dry painfully fast. Sera elbowed past Dorian to get the last of it, much to his annoyance. Adaar only laughed and smiled, and Bull realized it was the first time she’d done so on the trip. He stood up and started gathering the dishes.

“I’ll clean this up. Good food, Boss,” he said. 

She eyed him, almost suspiciously. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” He gave a rumbling sort of chuckle. “Don’t worry about it.”

Bull made his way toward the edge of camp, headed to the nearby stream. He heard Dorian and Sera resuming their favorite game of ‘Your People are Shit.’ He also heard footsteps following him. No need to guess who it was.

He knelt at the stream, setting the pile of bowls and spoons down next to him. Adaar came up next to him, but didn’t speak.

“Need something, Boss?” He didn’t look up.

“Just…” She trailed off, seemingly not sure of how to continue. “I’ve been watching you,” she admitted.

Bull nodded. “I know.”

Adaar gave a vaguely frustrated sigh. “I know you know. So it seemed kind of pointless.”

“Wanna tell me why?” He set a cleaned bowl to one side and started work on the next one.

“You know why,” she said dryly.

“I have a hunch, but I’d rather you just tell me.”

She gave another sigh. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna keep investigating my mother. Even told Leliana to keep an eye on your correspondence.”

Bull chuckled. “Didn’t guess that last part.”

“But you haven’t. Kept investigating, I mean.” Bull could feel her eyes on him.

“You told me not to. Seemed pretty serious about it, too.” He looked up at her, meeting her gaze. “You are my boss, remember?”

“Well, yeah,” Adaar crossed arms, and then quickly uncrossed. She was being paranoid about her body language. That happened a lot when people were worried about his Ben Hassrath training. “But you seemed pretty serious about your conspiracy theory, too.”

Bull shrugged. “I was. Still am. But if pushing the topic is gonna hurt you, it kind of defeats the purpose.”

“Ah, so you looked into this to help me?” 

Bull set another bowl aside and turned fully to face her, switching from a kneeling position to a mostly cross-legged one. “You said yourself that you weren’t sure if you believed the report. I decided to look into it for you to make sure everything was as it said in the letter. I should have asked you first, but I thought you deserved a break from thinking about it, so I didn’t.” Bull waited for a response, but didn’t get one. She looked somewhere between surprised and taken aback. He continued. “I broke your trust, and for that I’m sorry. I swear not to look into it again, but I still think you should. That’s the last I’ll say on the topic.” He turned back to the remaining dishes. “Now then, wanna help me finish this up? If we’re gone too long, Sera will start some rumors, y’know.”

Adaar rolled her eyes, but knelt down to help. Bull gave a slight smile. Between the two of them, the work took very little time, and though Adaar said very little while they worked, she offered to help carry the dishes back, and Iron Bull gave her half of them. Adaar led the way back to camp.

There was the sound a skidding foot, “Ah-” Adaar stepped just off the ledge, Bull reacted, hand shooting out and grabbing the back of her coat, hauling her back up to flat ground. She didn’t even drop a bowl.

“Careful, Boss.”

“I-I…” It took a moment for her to remember how words work. She cleared her throat. “I really hate the Storm Coast.”

Bull barked out a laugh. “Well let’s finish up with these damn darkspawn and get out of here, then!”

She nodded. “Agreed.”

They returned to camp, put away the dishes, and went to their respective tents for the night. The following day, Bull noticed a lot less watching. It made him smile to himself. They closed up the last hole and headed back to Skyhold. They few days journey was almost as quiet as the journey out, and Bull glanced at Adaar more than he meant to, wondering if she was still upset with him. But whenever he did, she just seem to be lost in thought.

The second day back at Skyhold, the Inquisitor came to see him.

“Bull,” she said, “I’ve thought about what you’ve said a lot, and I’ve decided to hand over what you learned to Leliana. She’s going to be look into it for me to see if there’s any… validity behind your claims.”

Bull nodded. “Glad to-”

“I’m not done,” she interrupted. “I also wanted to say that… I do trust you. Again, I mean. I didn’t for a while there, but you’ve shown me that… well, I can trust you. That’s all.” She was standing awkwardly, arms folded a little stiffly behind her back. She’d rehearsed this, he realized.

He smiled. “Good to hear, Boss. I’ve got some news for you too. Word from the Ben Hassrath. They’re proposing an alliance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Demands of the Qun' quest won't be included, the next chapter will start right afterwards :) Hoping everyone is enjoying the direction I've taken with this!


	8. Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chargers are alive.

The Chargers were alive. That’s what Bull had to keep thinking to himself to stay calm. His hands wanted to shake, so he kept them balled into fists instead.

They had made camp for the first time since leaving the Storm Coast. Conversation had been little to none the entire day. Likely because no one knew what to say how to talk to him. To a Tal-Vashoth. Bull took a slow shaky breath and kept his gaze on the fire.

Solas had said nothing, but Bull could sense something resembling understanding in his glances. He wanted that to piss him off; how could the elf know anything about this, he couldn’t even stand the Qun. But it didn’t.

Cassandra, as is her way, spoke in actions rather than words; putting the largest chunk of meat on his plate at dinner without a word, pausing at just the right moment during battle when they came across bandits to give him the killing blow.

The Inquisitor spoke simply with her presence, walking next to him or sitting beside him as she was now. 

“I’ve never told you about my time with the Valo-Kas, have I?”

Her voice almost startled him, as if waking him from an almost-slumber. Bull glanced at her, but she was staring into the flames as he had been. He returned to the same without a word. She continued.

“Our captain, Shokrakar, signed me on after she saw me deck some guy at a tavern. The work was good and steady. I liked it. Till the captain put me in charge of a squad.” Adaar paused and threw a twig into the fire. “It felt like there were no right choices. I hated it. I was always good at following orders, not so much at giving. Shokrakar thought I did a good job, and my squad always made it back alive, but I told her I didn’t want it. Then I heard she wanted to make me lieutenant.” Adaar chuckled. “I was livid. Marched right up to her and told her I’d quit if she even thought about.” She kicked at the dirt in front of her. “She agreed to drop it if I lead one final mission for her. That’s how I ended up at the Conclave.”

That got his attention, He’d been listening of course, because the Iron Bull is always listening, but now he turned to face her. She gave him a wistful smile.

“Joke’s on me, I suppose.”

“Huh.” The sound came out like a grunt. He resisted the urge to clear the disuse from his throat.

“You would not believe how much I didn’t want to do this at first,” she joked.

“It was concerning, to say the least,” Cassandra muttered from across the fire. Bull had almost forgotten she was there.

Adaar shrugged. “It wasn’t easy, but I got used to it, I guess. Still not crazy about all the fancy titles,” she grumbled.

Bull chuckled at that. Cassandra stood with the smallest of smiles hinting through her trademark stern expression.

“I will leave you to the first watch,” she said, taking her cue to leave.

Adaar scooted a little closer. “My point is,” she said quietly, “is that you did the right thing. Everyone here knows it. I would have done the exact same thing. You don’t have to say anything about it right now, and I know I can’t really imagine how you’re feeling right now, but,” she placed her hand on his; he hadn’t even realized it had unclenched, “I’m here if you want to talk.”

Iron Bull gave a heavy steady sigh. “Thanks, Boss.”

She smiled fondly and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’ll take first watch. You can stay if you want.”

He nodded. “I think I will.” Bull looked down at her, peacefully staring at the fire. He felt…. something. Something he wasn’t ready to put into words yet. Something he didn’t understand. So for now, he wouldn’t try. There were other things to worry about first. Too many distractions.

Bull turned his gaze to the outskirts of camp, where the sky met the horizon, and wondered what a life outside the Qun could mean. He was the sort of man who had a contingency for everything. He did not have a contingency for becoming Tal Vashoth. His boys were alive, he reminded himself again. Bull wondered if he would have had the strength to make that choice of Adaar had not been there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter chapter than usual, but this is a conversation I've been looking forward to since starting this fic. I didn't want to add anything unnecessary, the next one is a bit long and continues a bit on this topic.


	9. Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 'Qunari Incident' is having some lasting effects.

The weeks following the Qunari incident, Bull hardly saw the Inquisitor. This time, however, he was the one avoiding her. He knew the assassins would be coming before long, and he didn’t want to risk her in the crossfire. At least, until he noticed a change in the guard rotation. He smiled. They were sloppy.

Bull had Adaar meet him on the battlements, and when the two assassins came at him - two? - he dispatched them before she even had time to react.

“Sorry Boss. I thought I might need backup.” He smirked at her. “Guess I’m not even worth sending professionals for.”

“You were expecting them?” she asked incredulously. “You were expecting assassins?”

He shrugged. “Pretty standard procedure. I was watching for it and a change in the guard rotation tipped me off.”

“You should have said something!” she said angrily, stepping towards him with concern. “I could have done something!”

“Yeah, you couldn’ve tipped them off.” She opened her mouth to object. “Unless you went through years of Ben-Hassrath training to hide facial expressions when I wasn’t looking?” She scowled. “Exactly.”

Adaar gave an exasperated sigh, looking down at his stab wound. “Are you alright? We should get that looked at.”

Bull shook his head. “I’m fine. Hurt myself worse than this fooling around in bed.”

“It was probably poisoned.”

“It was definitely poisoned. Sar-Qamek, liquid form. I’ve been dosing myself with the antidote the last couple weeks, don’t worry.”

She placed one hand over wound on his chest. She seemed almost contemplative, staring at her fingers without looking up. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. But that doesn’t mean I’ll excuse it.”

He put one hand on her arm. “Hey. Sending two guys with blades after me isn’t really a hit. It’s a formality. Just making it clear Tal-Vashoth.” He turned away and growled. “Tal-Va-fucking-shoth.”

Adaar looked up then. pulling his eyes back. “You don’t have to change. You’ve lived as a Tal-Vashoth for years. Now you’re just not getting reports.”

“It’s not that simple, Boss. Life without the Qun–”

“Hey!” She pressed her hand hard against his wound to get his attention. “The Qun doesn’t get to decide whether or not you’re a good person. And you are,” she clarified. “They may know Hissrad, but I know the Iron Bull.” Her eyes seemed to bore into him. “And the Iron Bull is a good man.”

Bull let a moment of silence pass before he sighed and let his hand fall away from Adaar’s arm. She withdrew her hand from his chest in response, wiping the smear of blood on her pants. “Thanks, Boss,” he said with a faint smile. “And… Whatever I miss, whatever I regret… This is where I want to be.”

That seemed to ease some of her nerves. She returned his smile. “Let Leliana and Cullen know what happened. I want to tighten security so this shit doesn’t happen again.”

Bull nodded. “I’m on it.”

She punched him lightly on the shoulder as she walked away. “And come and see me once that wound heals up,” she called over her shoulder.

Bull smiled.

–

The wound would take a few days to heal, Bull knew, and in the mean time he’d be in the tavern as always. Some of the Chargers asked about the bandage, but he played it off. He didn’t want them to know the price he paid to save them, even if most of them likely figured it out. It took longer than Bull expected, but Krem came up to talk to him.

“Uh, hey, Chief? Are you okay?”

He smiled in return to his Lieutenant’s worried expression. “I’m good, Krem. It’s barely a scratch.”

Krem shook his head. “That’s not what I mean, I’ve seen you walk off way worse stuff than that.”

Bull cocked his head to one side. “What then, the Qun stuff? That’s fine too, don’t worry about it.”

He gave an exasperated snort. “You’re doin’ this on purpose, I swear.” Krem sat down next to him. “No. I mean it’s been over a month since we got back from the Storm Coast, and I haven’t seen you… proposition a single bar maid or stable boy.”

Iron Bull barked out a laugh. “Then you need to get you’re eyes checked Krem de la Creme. I’ve dropped plenty of pick up lines.”

Krem shook his head again. “You flirt. It might as well be your second language. Or fifth? Maker knows how many you know.” He waved a hand as if to interrupt himself. “I mean you haven’t actually taken anyone back to your room. For a month. Maybe two with all that travel time.” He put his hand on Bull’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Bull blinked. He hadn’t really thought about it, but Krem was right. He hadn’t slept with anyone since before the Sword Coast. Was it just the stress of the situation? Must be, although that was usually his favorite stress reliever. Regardless, he kept up a smile for Krem’s sake. “Relax, Krem. The Iron Bull is just fine. If that changes, you’ll be the first to know.”

Krem rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him, but he stood to go anyway. “Just don’t go getting yourself killed cuz you’re too pent up to focus or something. I got no desire to do your job just yet.”

He smirked. “You can’t get rid of me that easy, Krem.”

The lieutenant waved him off, returning to the bar to get another drink. Bull’s tankard was nearly empty, but he decided not to refill it right away. He wanted his mind clear so he could consider some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I officially am out of back logged chapters. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up my once weekly update schedule. This is sort of the first chapter where we don't actually learn anything about Adaar's past, which made it difficult to name the chapter, since, you know that's sort of my whole gimmick. But hey, I can't write from Bull's point of view without getting a bit introspective on him.
> 
> Your comments keep me motivated! Thanks for your support!


	10. Adamant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adamant Fortress. Physically entering the Fade. A demon made of nightmares. Would Adaar be the same?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this one! I got an eye infection last week that made it impossible to read or write for four days! To make up for it, here is the longest chapter to date, almost 2000 words! I probably could have kept going, but I wanted to get it out for everybody to see.
> 
> So it took a lot longer to get to this point than I originally expected, but the next chapter will be explicit! Unlike previous chapters, the next one will take place immediately continuing from this one. I hope you're excited!

Iron Bull had every intention of going to see the Inquisitor the moment his wound healed up. Unfortunately, before that happened, she was called away for some important business. Adamant. He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her before she left, what with the war room meetings and the gathering of an army. At first he was a little hurt she didn’t take him with her, but when he learned a bit more about the situation, however, he had to admit she made the right call.

Blood magic, demons, and grey wardens- which usually meant darkspawn. All of Bull’s favorite things wrapped into one shitty siege. Blackwell went with, an obvious choice to garner sympathy with the Wardens, as well as Solas and Sera. She’d need barriers, and that was Solas’s specialty, and Sera’s bizarre flasks had gotten them out of more than one scrape in the past. Still. He wished he could be there to watch her back.

His worry only grew when the received word after the battle. Skyhold was nearly empty, but the gossip mill was still furiously turning. The Inquisitor and her companions went into the fade– physically– and survived! That was the basis to all the tales, though details varied wildly from there. The fade was a nasty business no matter what, and Bull could only hope that some of the scarier tellings were just imaginations getting ahead of themselves.

Some said half the group didn’t make it, others said everyone made it but were horribly disfigured, more yet insisted the Inquisitor got a nasty gash across her face. He heard someone say she’d gotten possessed, and nearly decked the guy who said it. That’d never happen, he told himself. Not possible. 

It took a week after the rumors began for the first of the armies to return, Adaar at their head. Iron Bull watched from the battlements. Even at that distance, he could tell how exhausted she looked. No way that was a demon. He sighed with relief he would never admit. He watched her greet well wishers and advisers with a tired smile. He considered giving her a day of rest before talking to her, but he wasn’t that patient.

Bull didn’t rush to her immediately, though, he had a bit more tact than that. He knew she would tied up with a few meetings, though it was likely they would be short. He went to his room and gathered a few things in a bag he thought he might need and made his way to her chambers. 

He’d been there a few times now, but this time it felt different. The room had a chill in it, even smelled cold, likely because no one had been in it for several weeks. He realized he’d never seen it without a candle burning, even when she wasn’t there. Maybe there was a reason for that. Bull found some matches on the desk and lit the more clearly used candles. Adaar could probably use something comfortable and familiar when she got back.

Bull glanced down at the papers strewn across her desk. A letter was lying open in the center, carefully positioned in comparison to the others swept aside. His eyes skimmed the first line.

Dearest Adaar,

Not Ben-Hassrath, he told himself. Not my business.

It’s been too long since we last spoke, I’ve been worried to death!

Not Hissrad anymore. No reason to read this. He clenched his jaw and tore his eyes away quickly. Why did those words bother him? He walked away from the desk, lest he be tempted to snoop further. He knew Adaar wouldn’t be happy if he read her mail. Bull sat on her bed and stared at the desk from afar. It was the training, he decided. I’ve been a spy too long, it comes second nature now.

Though that didn’t explain why the implications of those words set his brow in such an unhappy position. He shook the thoughts from his head and went to the balcony. He needed a few minutes to clear his head before she arrived. He slung the bag from his shoulder, letting it sit right in the doorway.

It was only early afternoon, but the wind still felt cold on his chest. It always felt cold this high up in the mountains. It almost made him miss the warm sands of Seheron. But not really. A warm breeze didn’t exactly make up for having to be surrounded by death every day. Things were better here. He’d been honest when he told Adaar he was where he wanted to be. 

Bull was worried about her. He knew she was comfortable with magic, but going into the fade was another beast altogether. He had no idea how a place like that could affect a person. Most likely, no one would know. It had literally been ages since it supposedly last happened, and that didn’t end well for anyone.

He heard the downstairs door open and close. Heavy exhausted footsteps coming up the stairs. Showtime. Bull grabbed his bag and moved it in next to the desk, seating himself on her bed with his elbows resting on his knees. The second door closed. Bull coaxed an easy-going grin onto his face as Adaar’s head came into view, followed shortly by the rest of her.

He let her see him first, didn’t want to startle her. “Hey, Boss,” he called lightly when they made eye contact.

She looked even worse off up close. But when she saw Bull, some of that stress seemed to melt away, just a little. “How you doing, Bull?” She had a bag of her own that she tossed haphazardly past him to the other side of the room as she stepped towards him.

“You look like shit,” he admitted.

“Thanks, I feel even worse,” she joked, punching him lightly on the shoulder as she collapsed face first onto her bed.

“You’re tired?” she grunted in response. “Want me to go?”

Adaar hooked her fingers onto his belt. Her fingers felt cold against his skin. “Don’t.”

Bull nodded. “Okay.” He laid back next to her. They laid like that for a few minutes before Bull spoke up again. “Did you eat?”

She turned her head to face him. “I’m not hungry.”

“Not what I asked,” he chided. He moved to stand up, only to realize he was still tethered by her hand on his belt. He looked over to see her squinting at him suspiciously. “I’m not leaving, just need to grab my bag.”

This seemed to appease her for the moment and she released him, freeing him to stand and cross the room. He rummaged through it and pulled out a small paper wrapped package, returning to the bed and setting the bag back down a bit closer.

He set the small package in front of Adaar’s nose. “It’s a cake,” he explained. “Not too sweet. A good travel food.”

“Mm, more travel food,” she drawled sarcastically. But she propped herself up on her elbows and pulled the wrappings loose. A small square of yellow cake was within. 

“Made it myself,” Bull said, sitting back down on the bed.

She picked it up. “Didn’t have you pegged as a baker,” she admitted. Adaar examined it for a moment before taking a bite. She nodded. “S’good. Kinda savory.”

“I picked up a few tricks over the years. Met a guy who made these in Nevarra. Still can’t quite get it quite the way he made them.”

Adaar took another bite. “Wish I had these on the road. S’a hell of a lot better than salted nug jerky.” 

Bull let her finish the cake. “How ya doin’?”

She didn’t look at him. “Been better.”

“Want me to hit you with a stick?”

She snorted. “God no, I know exactly what you’re talking about. A couple of the Valo-kas used to do that shit.” She rolled her eyes. “I never really saw the point.”

He nodded. It wasn’t for everybody. “Wanna talk about what happened?”

She was quiet for a moment, resting her chin on her forearms. “The Warden died.” Bull didn’t respond. “We had to fight… a Nightmare demon. Didn’t even know those were thing.”

“And here I thought they were all nightmares,” Bull offered.

“Not. Not like this one.” Her eyes were far away then. “It was massive. It… I wasn’t sure we were gonna make it out. Warden Stroud distracted it so we could escape, but…” She clenched her jaw. “I should have…”

“You better not be about to say you should have stayed behind instead,” Bull grumbled. 

“Well!” she began to protest. “I know! I can’t just… stay in the Fade and die when this stupid fucking anchor on my hand is the only thing that can save the entirety of fucking Thedas!” She grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed and put it over her head. It didn’t quite have the desired effect thanks to her horns.

Bull could see her fingers curled into the pillow shaking. They were scratched and worn, almost calloused to bleeding. Her left was flickering slightly with the glow of the mark. He gently placed his hand over hers. “You’re okay now. You’re safe.”

Her hands slowly stopped shaking. Bull withdrew his hand and reached back into his bag. Adaar made a small sound and peeked at him from under the pillow. He pulled out a blanket, fairly thin but surprisingly large, and threw it over Adaar. She sat up and looked at him in confusion.

“I saw you when you got back,” he admitted. “I could tell some things weren’t sitting right. So I came prepared.” Bull pulled the corners over her shoulders.

“I… Have blankets, Bull,” she said, still confused.

“You do. But this one is soaked in embrium oil. Calms the nerves.”

Adaar pulled the corners up to her face and inhaled. “Oo, nice.” She adjusted herself to sit with her back against the headboard, moving the blanket to be over her front. “Thanks Bull.”

“Anytime, Boss.”

They sat there for a few minutes in comfortable silence. He could see the stress slowly easing from her face and posture. She alternated between sitting with her eyes closed and watching him curiously. Not for the first time in his life, Bull wished he could read minds.

“Quite the bag of tricks you have there,” she finally said, seeming much more at ease. “Sure it’s not magic?”

He chuckled. “I just like being prepared is all.”

“How did you know what I’d need?”

“I can read people,” he said simply.

“Hm,” she said, seeming to doubt him. “What else is in there?”

Bull grinned. “That’s on a need to know basis, I’m afraid.”

She put on an expression of mock shock. “Don’t I need to know?”

“Not yet. Maybe not even today.”

Adaar laughed. “Well now I want to know even more.”

He smirked and scooted closer, putting a hand on her knee. “One thing at a time. Let me see your hands.”

She complied, leaning forward to offer them, palms up. Bull took them in his and examined them, turning them over and running his fingers over hers. They felt warmer already. Her breathing and heart rate had returned to normal. They were little things she probably hadn’t even noticed were off in the first place, but helped Bull guess a little accurately at what was going on inside her head.

Satisfied, he looped his fingers around her wrists and held them like cuffs. “I know we’ve sort of beat around the bush about it, but we should probably talk about what it means to ride the Bull,” he said, looking up at her.

Adaar couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. “I still can’t believe you call it that,” she teased. “But yeah. Let’s talk.”


	11. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get intimate at last

Bull explained things one at a time. Normally he liked to test out the water physically first before going into details, but he wanted to make sure everything was laid out on the table this time.   
“I want to make sure you know what you’re getting into before we do anything.”  
Adaar quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”  
Bull stood and reached into the bag, pulling out a neatly tied bundle of rope. He watched as Adaar’s expression went to one of nervousness and surprise, but saw the curiosity and hunger in her eyes.  
“Oh.”  
He tossed it onto the bed and pulled out a few more things. A blindfold. A gag. A leather paddle. Each one got held up briefly before being tossed alongside the rope on the bed. Bull gave her a moment to process what she was looking at.  
“Still interested?” he asked.  
He could see the blush already hinting through her cheeks. “Yeah,” she said softly.  
Bull tried not to smirk with satisfaction. He brushed the objects to one side to sit back down next to Adaar. “Good. But there’s still a few more things to discuss.”  
“Okay?” she said warily.  
He chuckled. “No more bombshells, I promise. First, have you ever done anything like this before?”  
“No!” she blurted. “I-I mean…” she seemed suddenly embarrassed. Bull laughed.  
“Relax, boss. That’s the goal here, after all.” He clapped her on the shoulder. That blush was growing. Good. “Now then,” he started, hand staying in place, “I will never hurt you without your permission. You are always safe with me. You ever get uncomfortable or want me to stop, you say ‘Katoh’ and it’s over. No questions asked.”  
“You make it sound so simple,” she said.  
“It is. For the most part. Once shit gets complicated, it all falls apart. In my experience, at least.”  
Adaar eyed him. Bull couldn’t decide if it was suspicion or indecision.   
“Why Katoh?”  
Not the question he expected. “It’s a watchword. If you agree to go along with my crazy ideas, you might be tempted to say ‘no’ or ‘stop’ every once in a while. ‘Katoh’ let’s me know you mean it.” He could see the gears turning in her head as she tried to process it all. “We don’t have to do all this tonight,” he added, “I just wanted to cover my bases.”  
“I want to,” she replied quickly. “At least… I want to try.” She said it with confidence, but her posture was stiff.   
Iron Bull nodded and ran the hand that still laid on her shoulder down her arm. She nearly jumped at the light touch. “Boss. It’s alright. Relax.” He leaned in until their foreheads were touching. They stayed there for a few moments, Bull gently tracing a line from Adaar’s shoulder to her wrist and back until the muscles had lost their tension. “Good. Now, close your eyes.”  
She paused for a moment, a touch of the tension returning, but complied. Iron Bull drew back, grabbing the blindfold and slipping it over her eyes. His thumbs trailed across her temples as he tied it behind her head. Adaar gulped. Bull couldn’t help but smirk, giving her a quick peck before standing up from the bed.   
“Wait-” she started.  
“Don’t worry, I’m not going far,” he teased. He slipped off his harness, letting it hit the floor with a heavy thump. Bull grabbed the other items off the bed and set them on the floor, out of the way. He sat back down beside Adaar, sliding a hand up her arm and guiding her to lay back on her bed. Her skin was hot to the touch, a far cry from the icy touch they’d had less than an hour ago.  
Bull kissed her, first on the neck, then to the jawline, and finally to her waiting lips. Her hands attempted to travel across him, but Bull took them in one hand and pinned them above her head. Adaar kissed him back, hesitantly at first, and then more desperately as time went on. He pulled back, just enough to part their lips, but still close enough to feel each other's breath.  
“Bull…” she breathed.  
“Yes, Boss?” his voice was a low rumble.  
“I want you to call me by my name.”  
“Adaar,” he purred, happy to oblige.  
She shook her head. “My first name… Stella.”  
He couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. He’d never heard anyone else call her that. “Stella.”   
She bit her lip almost shyly as she smiled.   
Bull used his free hand to undo the buckles of Stella’s travelling jacket with unerring practice. She shimmied along, allowing him easier access to some of the less reasonable ones. Eventually, Bull had to release her hands to allow her to slip the garment loose, and he let them stay free once the jacket was tossed aside. She continued, pulling loose her undershirt, but he stopped her before she could remove her underclothes.  
He held her hands to either side and leaned in to nip at her ear. “Let me,” he whispered, fingers traveling to the simple band of cloth that covered her breasts. Practiced hands had the garment off in moments. The bare skin prickled in the cool air. Bull leaned over one, lips not but an inch away from her nipple, and exhaled. Stella jumped.  
“The thing about blindfolds,” he explained, refusing to move from his delightful view, “is that you never know where the next touch will come from.” His hand tapped her hip. She jumped again. “So your body goes haywire trying to predict it.” He flicked his tongue across her nipple. Stella gasped. “But just ends up putting your nerves into overdrive at every sensation instead.” She bit her lip. “It’s pretty useful, actually. Especially when combined with some other tricks.”  
Bull rose from the bed, leaving Stella exposed as he went to his bag to retrieve some rope. Stella began to sit up but he was already back, gently pressing her back down with a palm to the center of her chest.  
“Not so fast,” he chuckled. He slid her hands up above her head, quickly looping the rope around her wrists, weaving it into knots he knew by heart. Her face flushed as she realized what was happening. “You remember the watch word?” he prompted. Stella nodded quickly.  
“I do.”  
“Good.”  
One last tug and the knot was complete, Stella’s hands tied securely to the headboard. Tonight was about making her feel comfortable with this arrangement, to help her relax and let go of any responsibilities, so Bull didn’t want to push her limits too hard. Not yet, anyway. He ran his hands down her arms, then her sides, down to the hem of her pants. More buckles to be undone. What was it with rogues and belts?   
The garment finally loosened, Bull slowly tugged them down and off. Stella was fully exposed at last. He sat back for a moment, just soaking her in. She squirmed slightly.  
“Bull, I can feel you staring at me.”  
He laughed. “Should I stop?”  
She didn’t respond.  
Bull straddled her thighs and leaned in close. “I said,” he breathed in her ear, “should I stop?”  
“No,” Stella squeaked out immediately.  
He grinned. She was a quick study. Bull pulled back with a low chuckle. He let his hands graze against her nipples as he did so, drawing a slight gasp and twitch from her. This was going to be fun indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so THAT took longer than expected. Not sure what happened to my brain, but writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. But it's finally out! I hope you enjoyed it and leave a comment with some feedback! Love you!

**Author's Note:**

> Heritage is an ongoing work with no currently defined end. Chapters will vary in length. Feedback is very much appreciated!


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